Federal Notices
The Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) of 2008 requires disclosure of policies
that can affect students in colleges and universities. The following information
is disclosed to you as a student at West Virginia University or one of its divisional
campuses in compliance with federal law.
- Estimated Costs and Tuition
- Applying for Federal Financial Aid
- Verification
- Types of Aid
- Entrance and Exit Counseling for Federal Student Loans
- Terms and Conditions of Federal Student Loans
- Average Loan Indebtedness
- Student Loan Problems
- Federal Student Aid Penalties for Drug Law Violations
- Refund Disbursement Information
- Textbook Information
- Withdrawal Procedures
- Study Abroad
- Code of Conduct for Financial Aid Professionals and Advisory Disclosure
Estimated Costs and Tuition
Students can find different ways to estimate tuition, costs for financial aid purposes, and estimate aid (for incoming freshmen or prospective freshmen) on our Estimate Costs & Aid webpage.Applying for Federal Financial Aid
For federal financial aid consideration ( Title IV funds), students must submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on the Federal Student Aid website each year they are admitted/enrolled and want federal aid consideration. Please visit our Applying for Aid and Preparing for the FAFSA webpages for more information.
Verification
Students may be selected by the Department of Education for a process called "verification." More information regarding verification including requirements, deadlines, and how to submit documents can be found on our Verification website.
Types of Aid
There are various types of aid students may be eligible to receive based on financial need and/or academic merit. See our Types of Aid webpage for more information.
- academic level (undergraduate or graduate)
- degree program type
- enrollment in degree-pursuant credit hours
- satisfactory academic progress standards
- program of study
Eligibility for aid, depending on the aid program, may also be impacted by many other factors. For more information, please visit our All About Your Aid Offer webpage.
Entrance and Exit Counseling for Federal Student Loans
Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans (Entrance and Exit Counseling)
Information is available on the Federal Student Aid website for the entrance and exit counseling required for federal loan borrowers of subsidized, unsubsidized, and Graduate PLUS loans. Entrance counseling is required before loans can disburse, and exit counseling is required when a student is no longer enrolled at least half-time (due to graduation, not returning, or reducing enrollment).Federal TEACH Grant (Entrance, Subsequent, and Exit Counseling)
Federal TEACH Grant recipients must completed entrance counseling (or subsequent counseling if the grant has been received before) each aid year they receive the grant before it can disburse (in addition to the Agreement to Serve or Repay requirement). Entrance and subsequent counseling is available at the Federal Student Aid website. These students must also complete exit counseling when they graduate or leave the program of study for which they received the grant. TEACH exit counseling is available at the Federal Student Aid website.
Federal Perkins and Institutional LoansStudents who have borrowed Perkins or institutional loans must complete exit counseling when the student is no longer enrolled at least half-time (due to graduation, not returning, or reducing enrollment). Exit counseling for these loans is provided by a third-party, Heartland ECSI. Students will be emailed instructions to their student MIX email (via the WVU Portal) from Heartland ECSI when exit counseling must be completed.
Terms and Conditions of Federal Student Loans
The Terms and Conditions of federal student loans are listed on the Master Promissory Note which must be completed and signed by the student before their federal loans can disburse. The Master Promissory Note (or Loan Agreement) also describes the Rights and Responsibilities of the borrower.
Listed below are links to the Rights and Responsibilities for different types of federal student loans:
Students can use the Repayment Estimator on the Federal Student Aid website for more accurate repayment estimates based on their circumstances.
Average Federal Loan Indebtedness
See below for the average federal loan indebtedness for students who graduated from a West Virginia University campus in May 2023.
| Student Type | Average Indebtedness of Federal Loan Borrowers at Graduation
(includes only students who borrowed federal loans) |
Percentage of Students Who Graduated with No Federal Loan Debt |
|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree (Resident Student) | $9,548 | 58% |
| Associate Degree (Non-Resident Student) | $9,113 | 46% |
| Bachelor's Degree (Resident Student) | $18,374 | 50% |
| Bachelor's Degree (Non-Resident Student) | $21,075 | 40% |
| Graduate Degree (Resident Student) | $37,004 | 43% |
| Graduate Degree (Non-Resident Student) | $47,754 | 59% |
| Professional Degree (Resident Student) | $118,047 | 29% |
| Professional Degree (Non-Resident Student) | $196,013 | 50% |
You may download our May 2023 Graduate Indebtedness spreadsheet to see the average federal student loan indebtedness of graduates from each academic department. Please note that you may see a warning when opening this file due to the protection settings.
Please refer to the Student Loan Data Statistics webpage on the Education Data Initiative website for national student loan information. If the student would like to learn more about repayment and estimate their monthly payment, a Loan Simulator is available on the Federal Student Aid website. A video on responsible borrowing is available on YouTube with tips on how to keep student loan debt manageable.
Student Loan Problems
Borrowers should first attempt to resolve complaints about their federal direct loans by contacting the school, company, agency, or office directly involved. If the borrower has made a reasonable effort to resolve the problem through normal processes and has not been successful, they should contact the Federal Student Aid Ombudsman.
Federal Student Aid Penalties for Drug Law Violations
Federal law provides that a student who has been convicted of an offense under any federal or state law involving the possession or sale of a controlled substance during a period of enrollment for which the student was receiving financial aid shall not be eligible to receive any federal or institutional grant, loan, or work assistance during the period beginning on the date of such conviction and ending after the interval specified below. Please note a conviction that was reversed from the student's record is not relevant. An illegal drug is a controlled substance and does not include alcohol or tobacco.
Possession of a Controlled Substance
- First Offense = 1 year of ineligibility for financial aid after the date of
- Second Offense = 2 years of ineligibility for financial aid
- Third Offense = Indefinite ineligibility for financial aid
Sale of a Controlled Substance
- First Offense = 2 years of ineligibility for financial aid
- Second Offense = Indefinite ineligibility for financial aid
- The student satisfactorily completes a drug rehabilitation program that a) complies with the criteria prescribed in the federal regulations and b) includes two unannounced drug tests.
- The conviction is reversed, set aside, or otherwise rendered nugatory.
Refund Disbursement Information
All students (whether Pell Grant eligible or not) whose financial aid and payments are more than their institutional charges at the start of the semester are eligible for a financial aid refund. Visit our Refunds webpage for additional information and to learn how to sign up for direct deposit.
Refund Policy (Reduction of Charges)
The University has a tuition refund policy that stipulates the amount of tuition and fees that will be refunded to a student who withdraws from all classes during a term. This policy is published by the WVU Hub and can be viewed on our Withdrawal webpage.
Textbook Information
Students may purchase textbooks using the WVU bookstore. For more information about using financial aid to purchase books through the WVU bookstore, refer to our Bookstore Programs webpage.
Attention Federal Pell Grant recipients: Financial aid is disbursed approximately 10 days prior to the first day of classes for each term. Therefore, if your Pell Grant and any other disbursed aid exceed your institutional charges, you should (if eligible) receive any reimbursements to purchase books and supplies by the required seventh day of the term.
Withdrawal Procedures
Students withdrawing from classes must follow the withdrawal policies posted on the Office of the University Registrar's website.
Repayment Policy (Return of Title IV Aid)
The federal government mandates that students withdrawing from all classes may keep only the financial aid they have "earned" up to the time of withdrawal. Funds paid to the student's account in excess of the earned amount must be returned by the student. The repayment policy is available on our Withdrawing from Courses webpage.
Study Abroad
Students may be able to receive financial aid for study abroad trips. More information can be found on our Study Abroad webpage.
Code of Conduct for Financial Aid Professionals and Advisory Disclosure
Student Financial Services has established a code of conduct for financial aid professionals as required by law. Student Financial Services discloses that currently no financial aid professional on staff is serving on a lender advisory board.